As facilitators of 3D printer workshops, the authors developed a survey to gage how the

printers are actually being used and whether they support the Next Generation Science
Standards[1] (NGSS) requirements, especially in regard to engineering design. The survey
response rate was 52% of 68 total participants with the majority conveying that 3D
printers do facilitate student understanding of the engineering design process and that the
workshops empowered them and their students to tackle projects previously perceived as
beyond their skill level. Insufficient preparation for troubleshooting hardware and
software issues was listed as the greatest barrier to fully realizing the technology’s
potential in the classroom. Also highlighted was a lack of resources for development of
meaningful lesson plans using this nascent technology.